A Brother's Memories
by CodeLyoko
Summary: On the road to finding Mother, Kadaj and his brothers stop at a cave. There Yazoo stands guard, remembering memories as a thunderstorm swirled overhead. It had been different, when the thoughts of Mother didn't cloud his younger brother's mind.


Kira: This is a brother lover fanfic, basically showing that the brothers, mainly Yazoo and Kadaj, are caring towards another. In this Kadaj is 16, Yazoo is 19, and Loz is 20. I might have rushed the ending...

Disclaimer: Don't own anything in this fanfic sadly.

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Cold… And all they had was two blankets and a small dank cave to take shelter in. A chilly breeze whipped into the cave, tossing long silver tresses into the air, sweeping the empty space behind the tall lithe form that was sitting on the hard rocky ground. It was uncomfortable, but somehow the figure found a nice smooth part of the cave wall to lean upon. Catlike mako orbs peered through long moonlight bangs, staring at the rain that lashed around outside like liquidly projectiles. One droplet could seem like a slap to the face by the force it was hurled from the rain clouds making it... A bit of mist from the rain swatted his face, making his sensitive skin even chiller to the touch. Even tiny droplets of mist clung to his long lashes, disappearing only when he blinked.

A thunderstorm… That was just what they had needed to slow them down, especially when they were trying to find Mother. The middle brother mused a bit, calmly staring out as bright lightning shattered the sky, making his pale skin look ever more ghostly. Thunder instantly followed, cracking the very air in its way. He didn't have to know where his two brothers were. Loz, who was behind him a couple of feet and to the right, was hunched up against a small stone that was smooth to serve as a pillow and had one of the two raggedy blankets over him, having claimed it and fallen asleep instantly. Kadaj on the other hand had the best blanket they had, not as worn out as the other, and in turn the best spot they could find on the rough surface, which was mainly on the left of him.

He shifted his position, from his sitting position to one more comfortable. One knee was level with his chest, one arm delicately draped over it, the other supporting his weight, gloved palm face down on the ground. Lightning flashed again, accompanied by growling thunder. The storm above didn't worry him one bit, but he could hear his younger brother twitching in his sleep. Without even bothering to look over his shoulder, he knew what the sight would have been. The blanket would be gripped tightly in his youngest brother's gloved hands, straining the bare threads until the point where they might give way and tear.

He could already hear the strained gasps of another nightmare; his brother's panicked breathing, almost hearing the frantic beating of his heart. The fear of the storm was unconsciously making it worse than it usually was. Yazoo's pale lips turned down in a slight frown, hardly even seen. If he were to awaken Kadaj, he would still be half asleep, so would suddenly lash out at the waker in a blind rage, like he was the nightmare itself. He already experienced it numerous times, especially when it had been Loz to do so. His older brother one time ended up being bedridden for about three days, a bunch of ribs broken as well as his right leg nearly shattered into pieces. Their baby brother didn't even remember it at all, instead, he ignored the two for several days, not talking.

He remembered when they were young, just having escaped from the labs a good while ago… They were about six years younger back then. Loz was 14, he himself was 13, and Kadaj was 10. Before Kadaj had started to hear Mother's voice in his head, all he feared was storms.

_It had been quiet in the small abandoned house. But then again, it wasn't as abandoned as it seemed. Three single occupants claimed it as their home, for now at least, even though it wasn't that much of a home. It had been abandoned for a good reason, the walls were cracking, the floor covered in a bit of rubble, the ceiling nearly falling apart. There was only one who was up at this ungodly hour of four in the morning. He had claimed one of the four empty rooms as his. It wasn't too small, or too big, but it was the second smallest one, the smallest forth one being where a broken down kitchen and tiny living room was._

_The middle remnant's catlike orbs were drawn to a tattered book. Its pages were thin, nearly yellow from being discarded so many times and each corner of the pages was dog-eared until the edges were nearly torn off. Mako enhanced slits scanned over the tiny printed words, quite intelligent for his age. Big words that one usually had to look up in a dictionary were of no problem to him, so easily understanding the large 449 page paperback book. It was a horror genre, and the thundering storm outside had set just the right mood for it. Just in time a lightning flashed through the cracked window, making the tips of his lips twitch in the smallest of smirks, highlighting a bloody attack perfectly. It amused him highly._

_He was brought out of his reading mode when he heard a sound. He shifted from his spot in his little corner, blinking at the doorway, where a door was always absent. It had collapsed when Loz had banged on it in a fit. He switched on his night vision, but it took two seconds for his eyes to slide into focus in the dark. He still had to practice using it. One more blink and he heard soft bare footsteps. All he had seen was a streak of black, before he felt something tackle him, shuddering with a blanket trailing after the figure, clenched in a tiny slender fist. His eyes slightly widened as he dropped his book when it was knocked from his grip, immediately losing his place in it. But he could find it again, and besides, his eyes recognized that the one who was frightfully clinging to him was none other than his youngest brother, Kadaj. _

"_Kadaj?" he asked, blinking his glowing pupils, shifting again so his brother could get closer. He felt Kadaj's face buried in his chest, already knowing the reason for this rare behavior. A lightning bolt shone bright against the sky, and Kadaj nearly jumped. It confirmed his theory. He chuckled softly, bringing Kadaj into his arms, running a soothing hand through his brother's medium length tresses to try and calm him down, his other hand rubbing along his spine. His little brother let out a whimper, hearing the thunder roar, ducking his head even further to try and hide from the sounds and flashes._

"_Brother, there is nothing to be afraid of." The middle child said gently. The small figure in his arms didn't reply at first. Lightning and thunder sounded, only making his already frightened brother tremble even more in his older brother's arms._

"_B-But… it's so loud… and bright. It scares me!" he wailed, shaking like a leaf. To Yazoo's dismay and shock, he found tears dripping down his younger brother's pale cheeks. _Tears!_ Kadaj never cried! He used his slender fingers to wipe away the glistening trails of salty liquid. Kadaj should_ never_ cry, never. He always wanted his baby brother to be happy. Soon enough, the storm started to calm down. Kadaj had just fallen asleep in his arms, comforted by his presence. Smiling, the young male lifted the blanket over him and his brother, but mainly kept his brother warm in the chilly night. He didn't even spare a glance at the forgotten horror book._

Yazoo was brought out of his thoughts and finally got up slightly. Regardless of what the consequences were, he went to his youngest brother's side. Shaking him, he whispered his brother's name.

"Kadaj."

No answer came, only more fitful twisting.

"Kadaj!"

This time it was a bit louder than before, with more urgency. His eyes narrowed a bit. Before he could say his name again, he saw, with his night vision, Kadaj's eyes snap open. Before the middle sibling could respond, he found Kadaj's gloved hand wrapped around his neck, slamming his brother against the hard ragged cave wall. His wide eyes stared into Kadaj's, seeing a crazed fearful expression in the mako enhanced pupils. His head ached from where it had hit the wall, but he didn't move.

"Kadaj, it's me." He gasped out. Kadaj blinked, staring at Yazoo, finally sort of snapping away from his nightmare, but he withdrew his hand, clutching his head in pain. Before Kadaj could slip when his feet got tangled in his blanket, he caught him. Kadaj clung to his brother, running a hand down his back until Kadaj stopped. Yazoo carefully sat down, his brother in his lap.

"It was Him again…" he whispered. Yazoo took one look at the pained eyes, recognizing who he was talking about. Sephiroth, Mother's favored son. But how could She love Him more than Kadaj? The thought was unsettling. Kadaj looked away, now that the nightmare was gone, the storm didn't bother him. His fear had gotten over when he had been thirteen.

"We'll find Mother… right Yazoo?" he asked, looking up through his bangs at his older brother. A grunt was heard from Loz, who was turning over in his sleep, hitting the far side wall. Yazoo nodded, of course they would. Kadaj found himself being hugged, taking that time to stare at the silky strands of hair near his eyes. Yazoo's hair… He wondered if it was as soft as it had been that one night… He reached out and brushed a hand against it, having removed a glove to do so. He smiled, almost, when the texture of the strand met his skin. He let out a breath, which tickled Yazoo's sensitive skin on his neck. Yazoo didn't shudder though. Kadaj finally found himself slipping off to sleep, warm in his brother's embrace.

"Sleep brother." He said gently, watching Kadaj's eyes close. It was almost like that last time… He had never held his younger brother in such a way until now. He raised his mako orbs to the mouth of the cave.

The storm was coming to an end… and soon they would have to leave on the search for Mother again… But for now, they rested.


End file.
